Crate



June 17, 1924. 1-,4983377 H. H. HONIGBVAUM CRATE Filed Sent. lO. 1923Patented .lune l?, li.

HARRY H. HONIGBAUM, OF RCllli'OND HILL, NEW YORK.

CRATE.

Application led September 1G, 1923. Serial No. 661,846.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. Home- BAUM, a citizen oic the UnitedStates, residing at Richmond Hill, county of Queens, and State of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Crate, or which thefollowing' is a specification.

This invention is a. crate and while adapted tor general and varied usesin the dilerent arts is especially intended for the packagingof shinglesin bundles and more particularly composition shingles which are commonlymade in strips.

It has been the practice to boX thesecomposition shingles since thematerial from which they are made is relatively soft and will notwithstand the wear and tear which would result if they were boundtogether by means of stripping or wire.

rlhe object of the invention with reference more particularly to its usein connection with shingles is to provide a simple and ethcientconstruction for packing the shingles in bundles in such manner thatthey will not be defaced, marred or destroyed either severally orcollectively by the means which holds them in assembled relation or byContact with other packages of the same character or of differentcharacter. Under prior practice, composition shingles have usually beenentirely encased in a wooden box whereas in accordance with the presentinvention they are held in' packaging form by means of a skeletonizedcrate which may be readily assembled without the use ot any extraneousattaching means such as nails, screws or the like in an expeditiousmanner to hold the shingles in bundles.

rfhe crate is so constructed moreover that when it is desired to use theshingles the parts of the crate may be manually manipulated to dismantlethe crate so that the several elements entering into its constructioncan thereupon be compacted and returned to the point of originalshipment.

ln its preferred practical form, the invention embodies a crateembodyingn a plurality of cleats adapted to be posihoned at the top andbottom of a bunlle of shingles and the opposite ends of cach ot whichcleats is provided with a reentrant portion which may in practice be ofsubstantially dove tail shape. After the cleats have been assembled atthe bottom and top of the stack of shingles, pressure is imposed uponthe top cleats to place the shingles under slight compression and forcethe upper cleats suiliciently close to the lower 'cleats to permit theoppositeends of juxtaposed cleats at the top and bottom of the stack tobe tied together by means of tie members each ot which is provided atits opposite ends with heads immediately adjacent which each tie memberis shaped with a substantially oval cross section of less crosssectional area than the adjacent head. Each tie member when broughtintocooperative relation with the associated dove tail reentrantportions of juxtaposed cleats is so proportioned that the oval sec-tionadjacent the respective heads may pass freely through the mouth oi thedove tail reentr'ant portions, but after entering these portions the tiemember may be rotated through an angle of ninety degrees to lock the tiemember against removal from said reentrant portions in a lateraldirection while the heads oit the respective tie members will overlapthe margins of the reentrant portions of the cleats and lock the cleatsagainst movement in a'direction away from one another.

It the pressure is now removed from the shingle stack the stack willtend to expand thereby placing the tie members under tension andprecluding inadvertent rotation of these members relative t0 the cleats.When the shingles reach their destination and it is desired to releasethem, the tie members may be rotated and individually removed to permitthe cleats to be taken off and all ci? the elements ot the crate may becompactly stacked and bound together in compact t'orm and reshipped tothe point of original shipment to be applied to another shingle bundle.

An important feature which will be apparent resides in the fact that nonails, screws or other extraneous attaching'means are utilized intheconstruction and inasmuch as the cleats have a relatively eXtensivebearing surface with the shingles, the shingles will not be damaged orotherwise impaired when packaged in the manner described.

It is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to use inconnection with strip shingles and oth-er uses as well as additionalfeatures of advantage inherent in this invention will be apparent fromthe hereinafter detailed description and claims when read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of theinvention but the construction therein shownis to be understood asillustrffitive only5 and not as delining the limits of the invention.

Figure l is a plan view of a crate embodying the present inventionshowing the same as forming a package for a stack of strip shingles.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating one end of one of the cleatsand the cooperating end of one of the tie members, these parts beingseparated in the interest of clearness; and,

Figure Il is a plan view of one end of one of the cleats showingdiagrammatically the manner in which a tie member may be brought intoand out of locking relation with reference thereto.

ln the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention as appliedto a crate for the packaging of shingles, l designates a stack ofcomposition shingles. These shingles are adapted to be held tightlytogether for shipment from the point of manufacture to the place wherethey are to be applied to roofs.

In packaging the shingles for shipment I employ a plurality of cleats,eight being shown in the drawings. Three cleats 2 are positioned beneaththe stack and extend transversely thereof, three similar cleats 8 arepositioned on top of the stack and juxtaposed with reference to thecleats 2. A, long cleat Af extends longitudinally beneath the cleats 2while a similar long cleat 5 extends longitudinally7 of the stack andabove the cleats 3. lf desired the cleats 2 and 1lmay be cut with halflapped joints to interfit with one another to preclude any tendency toshift relative to one another and the cleats 3 and 5 may be similarlyjointed if desired although in practice this is not necessary.

All of the cleats are constructed in the same manner. That is to say.the free end of each cleat is provided with a reentrant portion 6 bestshown in Figures 3 and it This reentrant portion may differ in shape butis preferably substantially dove tail as shown so that the mouth 7 ofsaid portion is relatively constricted while that portion of the recessback of the mouth is enlarged. The form shown in Figures 3 and 4f hasbeen found to give thoroughly satisfactory results although this formmay differ without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Wvith the corresponding ends of each two juxtaposed cleats is associateda tie member. The tie members 8 are adapted for cooperation with thecleats 2 and 3 while the tie members 9, which are somewhat longer, iuthe form of the invention shown, than the tie members 8 are adapted tocooperate with the corresponding ends of the cleats l and 5. Except forslight differences in length all of these cleats are of the sameconstruction and this construction is best sh wn in Figure 3.

nt the opposite ends of each tie member are heads 10 which in practiceare made larger than the confines of the recesses o and directlyadjacent each head l0, the tie members are cut away to provide asubstantially oval cross sectional shank il. The smaller dimension ofthis oval cross seetional shanh is substantially equal to, thoughslightly less than, the mouth 7 of the recess 6. while the largerdiameter of this oval cross section is considerably larger than themouth opening. The oval portion i however so proportioned that when itsmaller diameter is presented to the recess. it may be slipped throughthe mouth 7 to bring the oval cross section within the recess and thetie may be thereupon rotated through 9() degrees to bring the longdimension of the oval cross section transversely of the associated cleatfor the purpose not only of locking the cleat against directwithdrawalthrough the mouth7 but also positioning the head 10 of the cleat so thatit cannot pull through the recess 6.

As stated all the cleats are made in the same manner and the method ofapplying the crate to a stack of shingles, when the parts are thusconstructed, will now be tlcscribed.

The lower cleats 2 and 4lare .first laid upon a suitable support inproper assembled relation with reference to one another. rlhis having'been accomplished the stack of shingles to be packaged is laid upon thecleats 2. rllhe cleats 3 and 5 are "thereupon laid on top of the shinglestack and pressure applied to these cleats in a downwmd direction. l

This pressure may be obtaineu from any suitable source such as a powepress or otherwise, the purpose being` to place the shingles -undercompression and to force the cleats toward one another and into suchspaced relation that the tie ineinbers may be brought into cooperationtherewith. The tie members are made of such lengt that when the shinglesare under compression as described they may be individually brought intocooperative relation with the corresponding ends of juxtaposed cleats insuc-h manner as to present the narrow lll) portions of the shingles l1to the mouths of the Cleat openings. In this way, the tie members are,one at a time, brought into cooperative relation with the respectivepairs of cleats and are rotated through degrees to lock them inposition. After the cleats are in position pressure on the shingle stackis released whereupon the stack will expand sufficiently to place all ofthe tie members under tension and thus firmly lock the crate inassembled relation, with the shingle stack enclosed therein.

W'hen the assembly reaches its destination, the ties may be removedwithout necessarily applyingpressure to the shingles. The rotation ofthe tie members may be accomplished by al wrench or otherwise but in anyevent said members may be readily released to dismantle the cleats andpermit the removal of the shingles.

After the shingles are removed, the cleats and tie members may be tiedtogether with a piece of cord or wire and returned to the point oforiginal shipment for further use. For such return shipment, the partswill be compacted so as to occupy minimum space.

A marked advantage in the present construction over prior practiceresides in the great simplicity of the construction, the ease ofassembly and dismantling` and the fact that nol nails, screws or otherextraneous devices are necessary. The crate elements are economical andeasy to manufacture and nice fitting of the parts is not necessary.

Experience has shown that the shingles will be properly protected duringtransit against damage such as is commonly the case when the shinglesare bound together with metallic strapping, wire or cord and, moreover,a much more economical and efficient construction results from theVemployment of the present invention than is the case when closed woodenboxes are usedv as a package for the shingles.

The fact that the heads of the tie members project beyond the cleats isan advantage since these projections protect the shin- :gles from damageby adjacent articles during shipment.

The accompanying drawings show the employment of cleats running bothways of the shingle stack, but I am aware that the cleats may ifdesiredy run in one direction. That is to say, the cleats t and 5 may beomitted if desired although for greater security I prefer to. use themin conjunction with the remaining cleats.

In the foregoing detailed description, the invention has beenspecifically described as used as a packaging for strip shingles. l amaware however that it is capable of other and. general uses. adapted foremployment in connection with express and parcel post service since iten- For example, it is welll' ables articles either of a fragile' or anonfragile nature to be securely packaged in such manner as to precludetheir breakage 0r separation in the mails. The foregoing specification,in describing the method of packaging the shingles has referred to theemployment of pressure on the goods when attaching the tie members. I amaware however that this pressure is not necessary in all connections oreven in the packaging of strip shingles, since, when the ties are inposition with reference to the cleats they will form a firm and rigidcontainer for the articles housed therein.

Furthermore it will be apparent that while the drawings show the cleatsand spacers to be positioned relatively far apart so as to form arelatively open crate, it will be apparent that instead of employingcleats at the top and bottom, plates may beern--v ployed and suiiicientnumber of spac erspositioned sufficiently close together maybe used toform a substantially closed recep-v tacle.

I am also aware that instead, of employ-l ing lcleats at the top andbottom a platform constructed in any suitable manner may be used at boththe top and bottom or a fiat board may be employed with. the notches cutin the margins thereof. For these reasons, the invention is to beunder-V stood as not restricted to the specic con'- struction shown butis to be understoodvas fullyv lcommensurate `with the appendedclaims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A crate embodying a plurality off cleats, each of which is providedatits opposite ends with reentrant portions having constricted mouths, anda plurality of tie members each of which is adapted to be asf sociatedwith two juxtaposed cleats and each of which tie members is provided atits opposite ends with heads adjacent which the ties are provided withshanks of` greater cross sectional dimension in one direction than inthe other direction to permit the shanks to, enter the reentran'tportions ofi the cleatsy and to be thereuponk rotated to lock said tiemembers against inadvertent removal from the reentrantportions, theheadsof said tie members being sufficiently large to preclude their passagethrough the reentrant portions. Y

2. A crate unit embodying two cleats and'v two ties, each of the cleatsbeing.` provided at its opposite ends with reentrant portions havingVconstricted mouths and each ofthe ties being provided at its opposite end with slots and Shanks adjacent the heads, said Shanks being' ofgreater dimension. in one direction than in the other direction to per#mit the Shanks to be introduced intoV theL reentrant portions andthereupon rotated to lock said shanks against inadvertent removal fromsuch portions, the heads being sufliciently large to preclude thepassage of the heads through the reentrant portions.

3. A crate embodying at least two cleats, each of which is provided inits opposite ends with reentrant portions and at least two ties, each ofwhich is provided atits opposite end With a head adjacent the base ofWhich head is formed a shank of reduced cross section to permit theshanks to be positioned in the reentrant portions of the cleats, saidheads being sufficiently large to preclude their passage through thereentrant portions.

4c. A crate for shingles embodying` a plurality of cleats adapted tounderlie a shingle stack and extend beyond the edges thereof, a likenumber of cleats adapted to overlie a shingle stack in juxtapositionWith the underlying cleats and to extend beyond the edges of said stack,each of said cleats being provided in its opposite ends With a reentrantportion, and a plurality of ties and each of which ties is provided atits opposite ends With heads and adjacent Which heads the ties are ofreduced cross section to form shanks adapted to enter the reentrantportions of juxtaposed cleats, the heads of the ties being sufficientlylarge to preclude their passage through the reentrant portions of thecleats. I

5. A crate for shingles embodying a plurality of cleats adapted tounderlie al shingle stack and extend beyond the edges thereof, a likenumber of cleats adapted to overlie a shingle stack in juxtapositionWith the underlying cleats and to extend beyond the edges of said stack,each of said cleats being provided in its opposite ends With a reentrantportion, and a plurality of ties and each of Which ties is provided atits opposite ends with heads and adjacent which heads the ties are ofreduced cross section to form shanks adapted to enter the reentrantportions of juxtaposed cleats, the heads of the ties being sufficientlylarge to preclude their passage through the reentrant portions of thecleats, the heads of the ties being spaced apart a distance whichprecludes the cooperation of the cleats and ties until the stack isplaced under compression, whereby the release of such compression Willplace the ties under tension and preclude their inadvertentdisengagement.

6. A cratefor shingles embodying a plurality of cleats adapted tounderlie a shingle stack and extend beyond the edges thereof, a likenumber of cleats adapted to overlie a shingle stack in juxtapositionWith the underlying cleats and to extend beyond the edges of said stack,each of said cleats be ing provided in its opposite ends with areentrant portion, and a plurality of ties equal in number to the numberof cleats, and each of Which ties is provided at its opposite ends Wit-hheads and adjacent which heads the ties are of reduced cross section toform shanks adapted to enter the reentrant portions of juxtaposedcleats, the heads of the ties being sufliciently large to preclude theirpassage through the reentrant portions of the cleats.

7. A crate for shingles embodying a plurality of cleats adapted tounderlie a shingle stack and extend beyond the edges thereof, a likenumber of cleats adapted to overlie a shingle stack in juxtapositionwith the underlying cleats and to extend beyond the edges of said stack,each of said cleats being provided in its opposite ends with areentrantportion, having a constricted mouth, and a plurality of tiesequal in number to the number of cleats and each of Which ties isprovided at its opposite ends With heads and adjacent Which heads theties are provided With substantially oval shanks of reduced crosssection adapted to enter the reentrant portions of juxtaposed cleats,the heads of the ties being sufficiently large to preclude their passagethrough the reentrant portions of the cleats.

8. A crate for shingles embodying members positioned below and above ashingle stack and extending beyond the edges of the stack, saidextending portions being provided With reentrant openings, and aplurality of ties each of Which is provided with a head at its oppositeends and adjacent which heads the ties are of reduced cross section toform shanks adapted to enter said openings, the heads being sufficientlylarge to preclude their -passage through the openings and positioned atsuch distance apart that the shanks can be positioned iny the openingsonly When the shingle stack is under compression whereby the releasingof the compression will place the ties under tension and preclude theirinadvertent disengagement.

9. A packaged shingle stack embodying a stack of shingles having upperand lower compression members and lateral tie members, the compressionmembers extending beyond the edges of the stack and slotted to receivethe tie members which are provided With heads adapted to engage thecompression members beyond the slots for the purpose of holding theparts in assembled relation.

10. The method of packaging shingles which consists in placing a stackof shingles under compression, thereafter intertitting members extendingaround four sides of the stack and thereafter releasing the pressure onthe shingle stack to hold the parts in assembled relation under theresidual pressure of the shingle stack,

llt?

11. Means for packaging articles embody- Shanks to be positioned in saidreentrant ing top and bottom members both of Which portions, said headsbeing sufficiently large are provided with reentrant portions and topreclude their passage through the re- 10 tie members, each of Which isprovided at entrant portions.

5 its opposite ends with a head adjacent the In testimony whereof I havesigned the base of which head is formed a shank of foregoingspecification. reduced cross section adapted to permit the HARRY H.HONIGBAUM.

